I don't answer. I'm already staring at the warehouse, my heart in my throat.
Another explosion. This one bigger. Louder. I feel it in my chest, in my bones. Orange flames bloom against the night sky, painting everything in hellish light.
"No." The word comes out strangled. "No, no, no."
A third explosion. The entire side of the warehouse collapses inward. Metal screams. Concrete crumbles. Flames shoot upward, hungry and violent.
"Maksim." I'm already reaching for the door handle. "He's in there. He's—"
"Kira, wait!" Anya grabs my arm. "You can't—"
"He's in there!" I'm screaming now, fighting against her grip. "Let me go! I have to—"
Another explosion cuts off my words. The warehouse is an inferno now. Flames consume everything. Smoke billows into the sky, thick and black.
No one survives that. No one could survive that.
"Maksim!" I'm out of the car now, running toward the warehouse. My legs carry me forward even though my mind knows it's useless.
He's gone. The father of my child is gone.
"Kira, stop!" Anya is behind me, chasing me. "You can't go in there!"
I don't care. I have to reach him. Have to find him.
Figures emerge from the smoke. Men running, stumbling, some dragging others. I scan their faces desperately, searching for the one face I need to see.
Not him. Not him. Not him.
Then I see Semyon. He's limping, his face covered in soot and blood. Two other men support him on either side.
But Maksim isn't with them.
"Where is he?" I reach Semyon, grabbing his jacket. "Where's Maksim?"
His eyes meet mine, and I see the answer before he speaks.
"I'm sorry," he rasps. "He went back for your father. The building—it came down. I tried to stop him, but he—"
"No." I shake my head violently. "No, he's not dead. He can't be dead."
"Kira—"
"He promised me!" I'm hitting Semyon's chest now, pounding uselessly against him. "He promised he wouldn't die! He promised!"
Strong hands catch my wrists. I struggle against them, but Semyon's grip is iron despite his injuries.
"Listen to me," he says urgently. "We have to go. Roman's men are still out there. Maksim made me promise to get you to safety if anything went wrong.”
I pull away.
"Kira, what are you doing?" Anya grabs my arm. "You can't—"
"I have to—I can't just—"
"You're pregnant!" She's crying now. "You can't run in there! The baby—"
"Will have no father if Maksim dies!" The words come out harsh.
